The present invention relates to an attachment adapted for mounting to a power hedge trimmer for accumulating hedge clippings.
Hedge trimmers in common use today are generally capable of trimming shrubbery in an infinite number of planes ranging from horizontal to vertical depending on the ultimate shape of the shrubbery which is desired. In certain cases, it is even necessary to orient the trimmer in a cutting plane which forms an outside angle greater than 90 degrees with respct to the horizontal, for example, in the case where the bush tapers inwardly at its base.
The trimming of shrubbery normally produces a great quantity of clippings, many of which are quite small and very difficult to retrieve. Also, certain varieties of shrubbery have thorns which further increases the difficulty of retrieval and disposal. In order to facilitate collection of the clippings, a number of prior art hedge trimmer attachments have been proposed but, as will be seen, none of them possesses a sufficient degree of universality to enable efficient collection regardless of the angle of the cutting plane.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,521 discloses a hedge clippings catcher comprising a tray mounted to the sickle bar of the hedge trimmer and which may be angularly adjusted to lie within a horizontal plane when the blade assembly is oriented vertically. When trimming in a horizontal direction, the catcher tray is repositioned so that it forms an angle of about 30.degree. with respect to the cutting plane. The primary drawback to this arrangement, however, is that numerous adjustments to the catcher tray are necessary as the trimmer is operated in various planes. This is particularly inconvenient when trimming individual bushes or when the desired shape is rounded as opposed to rectangular.
The clippings attachment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,025 comprises a first extension plate which is rigidly secured to the sickle bar and a second extension plate hingedly connected to the first plate. When trimming in a horizontal direction, the plates are adjusted so as to be coplanar whereas vertical trimming necessitates adjustment of the pivotal plate to a position perpendicular to the first plate. This arrangement suffers from the same drawbacks as the first prior art catcher, namely, the necessity for frequent readjustment when trimming at a variety of angles. Furthermore, the use of a generally planar tray limits the amount of clippings which can be collected before emptying is necessary. This is particularly true when trimming in the vertical direction. A somewhat similar device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,281,289 wherein the trays are made of metal mesh.
The hedge clipper attachment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,013 includes three side walls which are rigidly connected to a base plate so that a tray open on two sides is provided. When trimming in the vertical direction, it is obvious that the clippings will not be contained so that the effectiveness of this attachment is limited unless trimming is confined to a plane which is more nearly horizontal. Other examples of prior art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,795,050 and 2,510,311.
None of the prior art attachments discussed above includes means whereby the clippings may be collected when trimming in a plane beyond the vertical as in the case where the shrubbery tapers inwardly towards its base. Obviously, if the prior art devices are oriented in this manner, the clippings would immediately slide off.